


take back what's ours (and find ourselves)

by brianbrain



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Angst, Darksaber, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force-Sensitive Din Djarin, Force-Sensitivity, Lightsabers, Mandalorian Culture, mention of Luke Skywalker - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 02:21:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22008400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brianbrain/pseuds/brianbrain
Summary: Watching episode 8 of The Mandalorian made me wonder what would have happened if Moff Gideon tried pulling the Darksaber on Djarren. Because everyone knows that piece of scum doesn't deserve it. So, here we are.Also, wanted to bring back a very special someone to meet our favorite father son duo.
Relationships: Baby Yoda & The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)
Comments: 31
Kudos: 363





	1. take it back

He had to make sure Gideon was dead. He had to.

Din pushed the throbbing behind his eyes to the back of his mind. If he didn't think about it, it wasn't there.

His jetpack hummed steadily as he steered toward the crash. He wasn't keen on having another hey-it's-Greef-Karga-and-it-may-surprise-you-but-I'm-alive scare. (Well, Karga turned out fine, but that wasn't the point. Gideon was an _Imperial_.) 

Nearing the crash site, Din was disappointed to find that Gideon was in fact still alive, despite his craft being half buried in the lava flats. An ever growing line of melting metal on the exposed portion was the Imperial officer inside cutting his way out. He briefly considered tossing another charge at the darned thing and calling it a day, but he preferred killing Gideon himself to be certain. Slinging his rifle off his shoulder, Din loaded it quietly and kept his sight on the TIE as he landed on the ground nearby.

It took less time than Din had expected for Gideon to emerge. While his quarry brushed off imaginary specks of dust, Din wondered what in the galaxy could cut so fast when his eyes fell on item in Gideon's hand. 

The Darksaber.

Din's finger twitched involuntarily, prompting Gideon to drop to duck the wild shot. He clenched his jaw and hissed, having just missed his one chance at seeing this particular Imperial scum turn to ash. The stupid concussion Gideon had given him was impeding his reaction times.

"I would say it's good to see you again, but I'd hoped you'd already be dead by now," Gideon said in greeting, leveling a blaster at Din's head as he straightened. "Get out of my way."

"That's the Mandalorian Darksaber," Din replied, voice steady despite gritted teeth. "You have no right to be holding it."

"No right?" Gideon laughed, a harsh sound. The light made the dried blood on the officer's face glint a little, made his eyes look a little crazy. "I defeated the Mandalorians. This is my prize. Get out of my way or I'll add you to the list." He drops his voice slightly. "Oh, you should have seen Vizsla's face. Even Kyrze fell to me. Now, be reasonable and put. The rifle. Down." The moff crept closer with each word until he stood barely three arm lengths from Din, in point blank range of the Amban. He knew Din didn't have another shot; not with this particular weapon, at least.

Din complied slowly, keeping his helmet down. As he stood, he slipped a vibroblade out of his boot and into his hand, and then he turned the rest of the movement into a swift lunge.

What a rookie mistake to stand so close, on the part of Gideon.

"Try me," Din snarled as Gideon hit the ground and landed hard on his back with Din on top. The shot Gideon had attempted had missed by kilometers, both the blaster and the Darksaber flying out of his grip. It was a clean swipe at the Imperial's jugular, and blood spattered the dirt as Gideon choked through his last breaths.

Din paused just long enough to check that Gideon was well and truly dead before scooping up the Darksaber and taking to the air once again.

* * *

"Very impressive," Karga commented, as Din lands a little unsteadily beside them. The adrenaline was wearing off, a bone-deep tiredness creeping in instead.

"Any more stormtroopers?" Din asked. Karga responded in the negative, and Din tuned out, more focused on staying upright than engaging in conversation. Cara took Karga's offer to stay on Nevarro, and Karga remained friendly per usual, promising Din the best bounties when he got back. He shrugged, took the child from Cara, and said, "I'm afraid I've got more pressing matters at hand."

They bade him goodbye and safe travels, turning and starting for the faint outline of Nevarro in the distance. Din was about to start the long walk himself before he remembered his jetpack, a weak smile twitching his lips as he though back to his now-fulfilled wish from the last time he left Nevarro.

The jetpack got him back in half the time it would have taken on foot, which was all the more convenient because he'd forgotten about Kuill. It wasn't often that the Mandalorian was shocked by a dead body laid near his ship. Usually it would be as he made it, but this time it was yet another casualty among those who had aided them in their escape. Din's chest felt a tight as the mound of Mandalorian armor floated through his mind. His _vod's_ shells. He thought of Paz, killed by the saber his clan had once held. Had the price of the covert's help been worth it?

Din also wished he could've told Kuill he was right about IG-11.

The child chirped mournfully, breaking Din out of his thoughts. Well, the least he could do was to give the Ugnaught a proper burial. He set the child down on the ground with a groan and got to work.

By the time there were enough stones to cover Kuill's body, the sun was about to set. He placed Kuill's goggles last upon the mound, and stepped back to take a moment to survey it. It was certainly an extremely simple burial, but there was no time for anything more complicated. Who knew who would come to investigate the carnage? The sooner Din and the baby were able to get off Nevarro and find the _jetti_ the Armorer spoke of, the better.

He hoped Kuill didn't mind.

The child toddled up to him, and Din sighed. He leaned down to pick up the child and almost passed out when he righted himself, stumbling a little as he made his way into the Razor Crest's cockpit. Din's head felt like the Armorer had set up her forge in it. It was only through pure force of habit that Din managed to get the Crest off the ground and into the deep blue of hyperspace. He wasn't even sure what the name of the random planet he'd set course to was, what with the vague forms of Basic swimming in his vision as Din sagged in the pilot's chair, limbs a thousand bars of beskar.

It was good enough for now, he thought, letting his helmet tilt slightly to its side. In the corner of his eye, he could see the child sucking on a familiar Mythosaur necklace.

_By Creed, until it is of age or reunited with its own kind, you are as its father._

Din closed his eyes and let the darkness claim him.


	2. why me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> our good friend Din sorts some stuff out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: vomiting

When Din cracked his eyes back open, his headache had not receded. It was worse than ever, his stomach twisting uncomfortably, and Din could barely breathe. He didn't want to throw up. He _couldn't_ , not in this helmet, no, no, he couldn't!

Thinking about it made it a thousand times worse. Before he knew it, Din's thoughts had run away from him and he narrowly avoided puking in his helmet by tilting it just above his mouth. He could smell the vicious pure acid somewhere beneath him, hopefully on the floor, and Din dry heaved.

He had to get away.

Din wrestled his helmet all the way off with clumsy, trembling fingers and tripped out of the cockpit, almost smushing a small green and brown bundle.

Immediately, he was jolted out of his panic right into a different kind by the sight of the kid holding the kriffing _Darksaber_ , of all things. The hilt was half as tall as the child, but no, of course the curious little _adiik_ had to pick the most dangerous toys, and right off Din's belt while he was passed out no less. They went so far as to begin chewing on the weapon, and only paused to cock their head at Din's arrival.

A strangled groan passed Din's lips as he slid down the wall to get to the child's eye level. "Hey," he wheezed out, and managed a raspy, "Put it down."

He received no response for a moment, just that curious look, and then the _adiik_ dropped the Darksaber and waddled closer. With a sigh, Din folded up his legs to let his head rest on his knees as he struggled to breathe normally. Failure was inevitable, an awkward lump clogging his airway. He coughed, an unsuccessful attempt to get it out.

Despite the fact that he needed water, Din couldn't bring himself to move, anchored down from head to toe by all his aches. IG-11 might have saved him from dying of blunt force trauma blood loss, but that hadn't included a full treatment by any stretch of the imagination. Then again, if he didn't move, he was going to sit here until he fell asleep and add nasty neck and back strain to the mix.

At this point, what was the big difference?

Din started the long process of uncurling his limbs with a huff, ignoring the tiredness beckoning him to sit, sleep, anything that wasn't an activity requiring effort. For possibly the millionth time since he had busted the kid out of whatever weird Imperial experiment, Din wondered what had possessed him to assume that he could manage a 50 year old baby everyone else was hell-bent on capturing or killing. Din would be surprised if he even lived to see the kid speak words he can understand.

As if to prove his point, the kid warbled and poked his cheek, causing Din to snap his head towards the tiny green face.

His helmet's off and his face has been seen, Din suddenly realized. It took him just as quickly as he thought of the covert's rules as he decided that they could be dealt with later. Instead, Din dragged himself to his feet to find water, the child trailing after him.

Water turned out to be of minimal help to his throat, and Din dutifully ignored the grating noise that came with each inhale and exhale in favor of finding pain meds. The med-kit was up in the cockpit, so he settled for taking his armor off first. It would lessen the weight Din had to drag up, and perhaps help him breathe easier.

He didn't bother to entertain the possibility that he had enough bacta for all of his injuries as he methodically took off each piece until only his bodysuit remained. Din might as well have been dyed a different color for all the bruises he had. He would call it a day just to get some on his chest and neck.

Stumbling a little, Din headed for the ladder. He was interrupted by a squeak when he barely missed kicking a floppy green ear.

"Oh come on," Din muttered, looking down to see the _adiik_ making grabby hands at him. He sincerely doubted his ability to pick up the child, but damn those wide eyes because he put a discolored arm around them and scooped them off the ground anyway as he hobbled along. The child proceeded to chirp cheerfully and poke a claw right against his ribcage.

"Ow!" Din yelped, nearly dropping the child. "What are you doing?"

They coed so innocently Din was half tempted to throw them, but then they lifted tiny hands and closed their eyes. Din stood in motionless shock as a warm feeling passed through his body, beginning in his chest and trickling into his extremities. Like a bacta tank but faster and less suffocating.

Din gaped at the child. Sure, he had seen them heal Karga's arm, the poison leaving and making the limb good as new, but it had never occurred to him that the _adiik_ would do the same for him. Besides a bare memory of his headache and a sandy throat, he felt much refreshed.

"T-thank you," Din stammered. The warm form of the child curled up against him, blinking slowly. He stared as they turned, nuzzling into his arm.

 _You are now a clan of two_ , the words of the Armorer echo in his head. _You must reunite it with its kind.  
_

Guess he was well enough to go find the darned _jetti_ now.

Yet, there were so many reasons he could ditch the kid. He wouldn't have to run from crazy Imperials or hordes of hunters. He could settle down on some backwater planet. But at the same time, even if he was _trying_ to be selfish, Din knew he owed it to his parents. He owed it to the Mandalorians who adopted him. He owed it to the Creed. Overlooking long-term debt, they were still a baby with magical powers who was willing to help _him_.

_This is the Way._

"Ni kyr'tayl gai sa'ad," he whispered to the sleeping bundle. _I know your name as my child._

There was no audible reply, but Din swore he heard a sweet purr and the light touch of a three-clawed hand latching onto his wrist as he easily sacled the distance to the cockpit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> right so we're ignoring how awkward chapter one was because i can't figure out what's wrong. also debated making this chapter longer but you'll get din's mystery planet reveal next time (throwback to tcw is coming tho).


	3. jetti in an ice stack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for once in his life, Din experiences a strange stroke of good luck

Re-situated in front of his ship's controls with the child curled up on the co-pilot's seat and his helmet on the dash, Din squinted in disbelief at the coordinates in front of him. While leaving Nevarro, he had set them on a course to a planet, or at least a moon. He was sure of it.

As far as the star chart was concerned, he'd hallucinated that. Instead, they were hurtling towards a void in the Unknown Regions. No planets, no nothing! Yet, even if it had been a figment of his imagination, how could the position have been inputted if it didn't really exist?

Scrutinizing the maps, Din noticed that the void was still surrounded by other blue dots, suggesting that perhaps he'd mistyped. But he hadn't typed. He'd just chosen a planet, and that had been all there was to it.

It was quite strange, and the logical thing to do was to select a different location and pretend it had never happened. Yet, he was curious. Why not check it out? They were almost to the mystery spot, according to the nav computer. Maybe it would turn out to be a good place to float the Crest until Din was able to find some clue pointing to the _jetti_.

While he waited, it was a good idea to clean up a bit. The rag he'd used to sop up his puke was beginning to unravel.

He was in the middle of scrubbing down the filthy deck (why was there so much mud?) when the floor beneath him tilted. Not a whole lot, but a noticeable amount. A few boxes shifted fractionally. And then it tilted the other way, and then back again, until the entire ship was slowly shuddering back and forth. There were no alarms, and the Crest was historically a steady flier. Was the autopilot malfunctioning? Or was the gremlin awake and messing around?

Then the listing turned into a full, 45 degree slant, and Din's hand shot out for a handhold. Boxes strained in their nets. Smaller objects started falling. Still, not a single blare or beep. Was the ship computer disarmed?

Several long seconds passed before the floor finally jerked level, bashing Din against the wall. A small black rectangle whacked his boot, and he picked it up distractedly and hooked it to his belt, rubbing away the impact with his free hand.

What in Manda's name had that all been?

Up in the cockpit, the child was still sleeping. The ship read no damage. The only thing that was different than what he'd left it as was the view.

They were orbiting a giant ice ball, the fifth of seven planetoids circling an extremely bright blue dwarf. It looked uninhabited, with nothing on its surface except for a deep trench about its equator, but it wasn't what Din had expected. Empty space? Sure. Maybe a few rocks? Ok, fine. But the absence of this system on the maps despite evidently being in well charted space was the biggest red flag he'd ever seen.

It was obvious to Din now. Someone had removed this place from the records. The question was who, and why? And if it had been removed, how had Din selected it? A malfunction?

Maybe his nav disks were out of date. Maybe that thick belt of comets circling on the fringes had blocked everyone out. Maybe that's what had caused the turbulence. Yet his ship was untouched, not a single piece missing.

Actually, how had he gotten through that minefield in one piece? The computer would have ran straight through it and tore them all to shreds.

Two little green claws on the edge of the dash broke him out of his musings. Glancing right revealed the _adiik_ awake and attempting to climb onto the panel. He grabbed them away instinctively. "Do _not_ touch!" he commanded, voice a little squeaky. Din had had more than his fair share of turbulence today.

They made a sound suspiciously similar to a whine, ears drooping, but they immediately perked back up as the kid warbled excitedly, reaching outwards. Towards the ice planet.

"No," Din said firmly. "We are _not_ going there. I know it looks great and all, but no."

The ears flopped back down.

"Is this a trap?" he asked aloud. Was someone stowed away on his ship and secretly guiding him here?

This was getting progressively more farfetched.

The adiik squirmed in his grip, burbling furiously. "Sorry," he said to them, and let them sit in his lap.

Well, there _was_ one way to find out once and for all what was going on here. It was going to plague him for the rest of his days if he didn't. He'd spent so long _not_ getting answers in the Guild, and he was really sick of it.

Din put his hand on the accelerator and moved in for landing. The _jetti_ could wait. It wasn't like he knew where to start.

It was incredibly icy and windy in the dense atmosphere. He could barely see, and nearly flew into the side of a mountain when it suddenly loomed out of nowhere. The probability of crashing got higher by the second. Din was about to give up and try retracing his path to space (thank Manda for gyroscopes -- he could have been flying upside down for all he knew) when the deep chasm he'd seen earlier appeared.

Up close, its sides were suspiciously straight, but what did Din know about ice formation?

He found a smooth place a little ways from the edge and set the Crest down. Instantly, the _adiik_ jumped off of him with a chirp, somehow landing on their feet and waddling over to the door.

Should Din take them with him?

Actually, there wasn't much of a choice. Every single time Din had left them in the ship, they'd just come after him. He was better off keeping them close.

He scooped them up and went to get into his armor.

Din decided he was adding ice planets to the blacklist. It was freezing, snow drifting lazily down. He was not prepared for extreme weather. Apparently the _adiik_ didn't care, because they were practically bounding ahead. Their legs were too short to fully express the speed, but it was faster than Din had seen them move before. To his left wind howled in the trench, channeled along the high walls. To his right, there was was wide expanse of varying shades of whiteness.

There were no heat signatures and not a single life form in sight except him and the kid. A barren planet. But his sensors were also operating at less than half their usual capacity. For all he knew, a beast like the wampas of Hoth could be hunting them right now.

He walked faster to keep up with the _adiik_ , glancing around nervously. Where were they even going? They seemed to have a destination in mind. Or maybe they were like lothcats, always eager to run.

That was before he noticed the huge dome, anchored to the side of the trench. It seemed to be an abandoned mining rig.

"You trying to get there?" he muttered. But when he turned his attention back to the child, there was no one there.

They were gone. Snatched, maybe. Malevolent snow eagles?

Din unclipped the blaster at his side, feeling the weight of it in his hand. It was not much comfort. There was near zero visibility, and the unfortunate thing about humans was their extreme reliance on sight. Up, down, left, right; everything looked the same. The wind also helpfully covered any noise kidnappers might have made.

He tried to calm himself. Best case, the kid had fallen in a snowdrift. Still, Din kept his grip on his blaster as he slunk along, eyes peeled. Not that it was much use, since Din could barely see two arm lengths away. He might accidentally step on the _adiik_ before he found him.

 _Are you the one who was to capture him?_ asked a feminine voice.

Din whipped his head around, but could not find the source. Was that someone speaking? It was clear, despite the wind, as if someone had tapped into his comms. At the same time, there was none of the static this kind of weather would create. It was closer to one of those voices in your head that might berate you when you did something wrong, but it wasn't _his_. And who was the him this voice spoke of?

_The child. Is he your charge?  
_

Darn this fog. His mind must be playing tricks on him.

_No, I'm talking to you._

**Then get out of my head and talk like a person if you're real!** he thought, with plenty of force behind it. He didn't need a strange subconscious messing things up right now.

A muffled squeak sounded in the distance, and he honed in on it, moving quickly. He ran stomach first into a rock for his efforts, but then he paused to consider it through the mist.

It wasn't a rock. It was a very low cave entrance, with an overhanging ledge about hip height. Sitting with back to the opening was a hooded figure with two abnormally pointy bumps where their head would be, like giant ears. Beside them the _adiik_ was sitting, babbling away happily and waving their arms. A small fire threw a dim light against the walls. As Din watched, the figure turned to face him, and gloved fingers pulled off their hood.

The bumps hadn't been ears, Din realized, fingers tightening around his blaster. They had been the two blue and white montrals of an orange skinned Togruta. 

"I have been waiting for you," she said, sharp blue eyes seeming to find his, even though he was barely peeking around the edge of the opening. "Come sit. We have much to discuss."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> think the next one or two chapters should be the last!


	4. strange dealings of the aruetti

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Din strikes a deal.

Din did not like this. At all.

First, he had hallucinated this planet. Then, he'd allowed his curiosity to drag him down here. As a result, the kid had gotten lost, taken, whatever. When Din had gone searching for them, voices had started talking to him. And now, Din was gaping at a carnivorous being, warming themselves by a fire and proclaiming that they had been "waiting for him" to "discuss", in the exact same voice as the one in his head. With the _adiik_ practically sitting in their lap.

He stayed crouched above, trying to figure out what to do. Should he go in and entertain the Togruta? It seemed as though she might be able to give him some answers, but it could also be an extremely intricate trap that Din hadn't quite thought of. Or should he try to nab the _adiik_ and run all the way back to the ship? Din doubted how successful such an attempt would be, however. The child had disappeared in the blink of an eye, and the most likely culprit was the sharp toothed, highly evolved Loth cat before Din who could worm into his mind.

Like the _jetti_ , Din realized with a jolt.

Below him the Togruta had tilted her head, as though listening intensely, and then she turned to the kid and murmured something. The _adiik_ chittered back and pointed a tiny green claw... right at him.

"I realize perhaps I should have been more diplomatic," she said, following the _adiik_ 's finger to find him. She paused, and chuckled slightly to herself. "But it has been a long time."

Din did not reply. It seemed genuine enough, but one never knew. Even so, the cave was beginning to look better by the second. The tension from his search was beginning to slip away, replaced by the cold that had settled into his bones. At the very least he knew where the kid was, and the Togruta hadn't acted maliciously so far. Then again, many played the long game.

The Togruta sighed. "I heard you've been looking for _jetti_ ," she offered.

Before Din could think, words spilled out. "How would you know that?" he snapped. "Have you been following us?"

She shook her head quickly, and put her hands up placatingly. "No, no," she said. "My name is Ahsoka Tano, and I came to this moon to... see the sights, I suppose you could say. But the child is strong in the Force, and although you have no reason to trust me, it was them that came to me. I once knew a wise master belonging to the same species."

Under his helmet, Din clenched his jaw. This was obviously the closest lead on the _jetti_ he had, one that he might never find again. He could not miss this chance.

Another beat passed. Since he couldn't come up with anything better than going along with the kid, who seemed perfectly at ease despite usually being able to sense trouble, Din shimmed through the hole and landed carefully on the cave floor, blaster still unholstered. The staff by the fire looked suitably vicious, and he was taking a pretty big chance here. He wouldn't be surprised if Tano, assuming that was her real name, had more weapons under that cloak.

Immediately, the _adiik_ tottered up and sat on his boot. That definitely took away some of the menacing effect Din normally had, but Tano slowly lowered her hands and placed them carefully in her lap in full visibility.

"There are no sights on this ice ball," Din hissed. "Explain."

"You do not know?" Tano had the gall to look surprised. "How did you find your way here, then?"

"Unimportant," replied Din flatly. 

After appraising Din for a moment, Tano seemed to come to a conclusion, frowning slightly. "A long time ago, Ilum was a sacred place. There was a temple above the kyber crystals caves. But as you may have noticed, much, if not all, of that is gone now, taken by the Empire for the Death Star."

" _Ilum_ was not in my star chart," Din said, drawing out the strange name.

"It was removed."

Obviously. It still didn't explain how he could set course to a planet not on the charts to begin with.

"And who was the master? Where can I find them?"

"Master Yoda passed after a rather long life," Tano said. "But if you are looking for _jetti_ , so am I. Perhaps we can help each other, _vod_."

The use of Mandalorian was fairly suspicious, and it was always with the deals. Underneath his helmet, his mouth twisted sourly. "And what was would this help entail?"

"I can bring you to the Skywalkers, who are building up the Jedi order again, but you will have to humor me for a few days here. I am looking for an old friend." Tano smiled faintly, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "By any chance would you happen to know of Bo-Katan Kryze?"

The clan name certainly rang a bell, but an _arue_ _tti_ asking about Mandalorians was really not something Din trusted. "And why does that concern you?"

"She is a friend," Tano stated. "Or was. I am no longer sure, if the Darksaber hangs on your belt."

Din was frankly baffled by Tano. She clearly knew about the _jetti_ , or even was one; hadn't she spoken in his mind? But Tano did not offer any clarification on the matter and only said that she would bring him to another after searching for a different _jetti_ friend. And to top it off, Tano was friends with a Kryze when they should be sworn enemies. She even spoke Mando'a unprompted, and knew of the Darksaber!

Unfortunately for Din, his hands were tied. He stared at the fire, crackling and leaping, and shifted his weight uneasily. There was no better option, unless he wanted to continue an intergalactic wild goose chase.

"Fine," Din conceded. "What do you need from me?"


	5. the revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Din comes to a revelation.

Din couldn't tell if the vagueness of Tano's request had been intentional. Either way, it was always good to stay appropriately wary until the situation was definitively proven safe. What was "a fresh pair of eyes," even supposed to mean?

Still, a deal was a deal, and Din had already given his word. They'd left the shelter of the cave almost immediately after coming to their agreement, and Din only felt colder for his time by the warm fire. It didn't help that every step had his boots sinking shin deep into the snow. 

Suppressing a shiver, Din squinted ahead. Although it fluttered only about an arm length away, he could barely make out Tano's cloak thanks to the horrid weather and the fact that the cloak was grey. Not even black, no, it just had to be grey. His heat scope hadn't had much better luck, attesting to just how heavily the snow was coming down. But as for all intents and purposes Din preferred no repeats of the child's escapade, so he forced himself to keep moving forward, laboriously lifting heavy feet one at a time.

Left foot. Right foot. Left foot. Right foot. 

At least the _ad'ika_ was back with Din now. He tightened his grip on the bundle curled against his chest with a sigh, contemplating the merit of asking Tano where the kriff they were going. Ultimately, Din decided against it. It was too cold to be thinking of anything past treading through the snow and not getting lost.

It seemed that hours had passed by the time Tano slowed, and he wondered how she'd remained so unaffected by the harsh and frigid environment. Din had nearly fallen flat on his face multiple times, not to mention all the little stumbles, and he hoped he wouldn't be loosing any extremities for his troubles. He was beginning to lose his focus, too, and Din nearly crashed into Tano when she finally stopped. 

Thankfully, she didn't comment, and went so far as to steady him. "We're here," Tano told him quietly, as though to avoid disturbing someone who was sleeping.

Din huffed out a breath. "What's here?"

The advantage of being so close to Tano was that he could make out her facial expressions. She turned to look at him, lifting an eyebrow marking. "You don't feel it?" 

"Ilum's freezing climate?" Din snarked. He didn't appreciate how his bones felt so thoroughly iced, all the way down to the core of the marrow, and was surprised the child hadn't once scrabbled at Din's chestplate and demanded to curl up against him. 

Tano eyed him for a moment before replying. "The ruins of the temple are right there. Let me know if you see anything interesting, especially if it's kyber."

Despite not knowing if he would be able to see anything to begin with, Din nodded affirmatively and allowed Tano to steer him through the ghost of a doorframe. 

It turned out that Din could in fact make out shapes better than he had been able to outside. Still, he couldn't quite tell what was blocking the snow from above, and all the colors were washed out, cast into grayscale. Din tried to avoid dwelling on the question too much, instead welcoming the respite from the storm and surveying what he could see. 

The rubble was hardly recognizable as a temple, but since Din had been told what to look for, he could just make out an arch here, an arch there. Shards of broken glass glittered among the pile, yet Din didn't really think any of it met the criteria for "interesting". There was definitely no kyber here. Tano seemed to have reached the same conclusion and pressed on, Din trailing after her.

They passed through another crumbling arch, the ground beginning to slope beneath their feet. With the blue-grey gloom, Din felt more than saw the walls starting to close in, and he realized that they were moving through a tunnel.

Tano held out a hand, and Din stopped. "What?" he asked.

"The way splits here," Tano replied, gesturing to the Y junction. "To save time, we should each take a side."

Din considered the right, then the left. He could tell absolutely zero difference between the two, so Din shrugged and picked randomly. "I'll go right."

The Togruta nodded, disappearing with the swish of her cloak. Din stared after her for a moment. Why in the galaxy had he agreed to this again? There was nothing here but a continuous expanse of fuzz. He could technically just stand here and wait for her to come back, since Din had never promised to actively help Tano search. Yet Din was still just a tad bit curious what was down there; the same intrigue that had brought him to land and get out on Ilum in the first place.

In his arms, the child babbled, flicking a floppy ear as they reached forward, and Din exhaled slowly. He hoped he didn't get lost.

The tunnel appeared to be getting progressively smaller. Although it was a very gradual change, it was still enough to set Din's skin prickling. Other than that, however, there was nothing notable about the place, just dark, bumpy stone all around.

He trudged on, eyeing the chrono in the corner of his HUD every now and then. Time seemed to drag. How long was this section, anyways?

At some point Din became aware that he had been hearing an odd humming for a while now, a sound that got louder with every step. He wasn't sure what it could be. Din's first thought was a generator, perhaps, but the mining rig had looked long abandoned. It would be strange for it to have run so long without maintenance.

Then the humming turned into the barest strings of a melody.

Just as Din decided that there was no way it was a generator, the stone around him imploded, shattering into thousands of thin slivers. Din dropped on instinct, squeezing his eyes shut and curling around the child as memories of gory shrapnel wounds floated through his mind.

Well. He'd probably die of asphyxiation first, seeing as he was underground and was about to be buried.

"You good there, Commander?"

Din's eyes flew back open. Someone was here. He didn't know who it was, but Din could tell that they were dead.

He paused, turning the idea over in his head. How would Din know if they were dead? Dead people didn't talk. He also hadn't actually seen the source of the voice. For all he knew, Din was imagining things again.

"Commander?"

Din had never been a commander, either. What the kriff was going on?

Beneath him, the ground was shifting, twisting, and Din groaned as something jabbed him in the side.

"Mando!" someone snapped.

Din blinked, and as he turned towards the sound, the walls abruptly re-solidified. Din registered an orange face, much too close to his, and he yelped, flipping backwards.

He didn't remember drawing the darksaber, but somehow Din was crouched behind Tano with the blade inches from her neck.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

"Tell me what this place is and why you wanted to come here," Din hissed, arm shaking just slightly. "Don't do anything suspicious, don't say anything suspicious. Just the truth, and don't leave anything out of it."

Tano hesitated for a moment before she spoke, words slow and carefully chosen. "These are the ruins of a Jedi temple. Before the Empire, there was an annual trip for the younglings, who came here to find the right crystals to build their lightsabers with." She paused then, and Din wished he'd had the foresight to tell her to turn around so he had a better chance of telling if Tano was lying or not.

"The crystals... some of them sing, some of them provide... insight," she continued. "I wanted to use them in my search for my friend, and I knew that the Empire wouldn't have bothered with this place past demolition because the crystals here are too small and too scattered. It was my best bet to come here to find some."

The whole spiel was a bunch of hand-wavy magic, and leather creaked as Din's grip tightened around the smooth hilt in his hand. "You're a Jedi."

Tano laughed, the sound harsh and forced. "I'm no more a Jedi than you are, Mando."

"Then explain how you know of these things," Din shot back. "And while you're at it, turn around. Slowly."

The Togruta complied, edging around the blade. She glanced down to it for a second, then lifted her chin, blue eyes daring and jaw set. "I left the Jedi Order. They accused me of a crime I hadn't committed and were about to condemn me to life in jail, or worse, death. Even when they were proven wrong, the Council didn't even apologize. They called it the way of the Force. I admit that setup was well orchestrated, the evidence damning, but the Force... I became disillusioned with it and the Jedi's ways. What use were they, when they didn't help the innocent? What use were they, when people struggled through life and died early within mere kilometers of the temple, where thousands of Jedi resided comfortably?"

The Force must have been the name for the _jetii_ 's hand-wavy magic. How cute. Although Din was still unsure if Tano spoke the truth, Din was inclined to believe it must have been, for all the conviction Tano had.

"So you were a Jedi," Din amended, saber steadying in his hand as his mind whirled. His quest was over, then, so long as Tano agreed to take the child.

"Yes," Tano replied simply.

"So you can teach the child?"

Tano studied him, mouth twitching. "I can, but I won't."

"And why is that?"

Her eyes flitted briefly to the darksaber, and Din lowered it. With a soft shing, he sheathed and hooked it back onto his belt. Satisfied, Tano opened her mouth again. "Grogu has hidden his abilities to survive over the years. He's formed a strong attachment to you, and it makes him vulnerable to his fears. His anger. I've seen what these feelings can do to a fully trained Jedi Knight. No, I will not start him down that path."

"Yet you are willing to bring him to other Jedi," Din commented. "I don't understand."

Tano shifted from foot to foot, boots scraping against the stone. "Perhaps this Skywalker would do better."

"An experiment."

Tano didn't answer, and Din gritted his teeth. The silence spoke volumes, and he spun on his heel, ready to leave and never come back. 

"You asked to find Jedi. I merely answered," Tano said, and Din stopped. "But there is always a different path, a middle ground, a fine line in between the two extremes. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I walk the Way of the Mandalore," he replied automatically. "We are both hunter and prey."

"You've never felt it?"

Din whirled around, snarling. "This is the third or fourth time you've made such a comment. I don't read minds. I'm not a Jedi. I have no idea what you're talking about."

It was mildly satisfying to see her eyes wide with surprise, but his blood still simmered. Din wanted answers.

"The Force. The energy surrounding us, tying us together. Things that you know that most people wouldn't."

Din thought of shattered walls, of a dead voice calling for a commander. Of the kyber crystals, said to provide insight.

He didn't like where this was going.

"I'm not a Jedi," Din repeated.

"I never said you were. Not all Force-sensitives are Jedi."

"You're asking me something you already know the answer to," Din realized.

Tano's face was flat, emotionless. "Have you?"

"Do you think I have?"

She sighed, lips twitching into a small, sad smile. "You were projecting into it very vividly just a while ago. It was... helpful."

"I didn't do anything."

"Half of it, then. And you definitely did find a crystal."

Din blinked, following her finger to the glittering scrap by her feet. He hadn't noticed it before, but now it seemed to invade his mind, the lattice growing clear--

He jerked away, panting. It was as if Din had been covered in fuel and lit on fire, every part of his body screaming to get away. Blindly, he stumbled away from the fragment of kyber, only vaguely registering the hands gently guiding him along. The walls were closing in, constricting his breathing, and he needed _out_ , to return the child to the _jetii_ , to pay his debts, to find--

"-with me, Mando?"

Din groaned as he peeled open sticky eyelids. They felt puffy and swollen, and he ached all over, but at least Din's stomach had settled. Past the green blur of the child's ear, he could just make out cave walls flickering orange with firelight. Cloth shifted to his left, and Din craned his neck to see an orange-skinned Togruta looking down at him.

"I'm guessing you had some sort of reaction to the proximity. You have a... very tight rein on how you interact with the Force."

The Force. Din's brain turned sluggishly, trying to recall what had happened. He'd landed on Ilum, the child had gotten lost, made a deal with a Togruta. Specifically the Togruta leaning over him just now, who'd given her name as Ahsoka Tano. They'd gone down into the kyber--

Din jolted upright, the _ad'ika_ whining as the sudden change in position. He ignored it, clutching the small body closer to him.

"This can't be happening," he said, words awkward in his dry mouth as he narrowed his eyes. "I'm not magical, or whatever. You're a hallucination."

Tano tilted her head, shuffling back to give him some space. "You're going into shock."

And that was how Din knew it wasn't some sort of spice dream. His mind would have never supplied such a rational statement. Which meant that Din was in fact magical, and had been for nearly forty years without ever knowing a thing. Which also meant that Din was one of the "enemy sorcerers" the Armorer had referred to, which made zero sense because he was a Mandalorian, he had always walked the Way, but was he really a Mandalorian, then?

Apparently Din had voiced his musings aloud, because Tano's voice cut in. "Why can't you be a Mandalorian and a Jedi? Wasn't Tarre Vizsla both?"

"Tarre Vizsla only built the darksaber to unite Mandalore," Din argued, though something told him that wasn't quite true. His studies had been long ago, too, so he might have remembered wrong, but then why would the Armorer have called the Jedi an enemy?

How much of Din's life was a lie?

"Alright," Tano said slowly, eyes moving across the face of his helmet as if searching for something. "Alright. I'm going to make you a proposal. Join me in my search, and I can prove to you that it was otherwise. I'll even share my knowledge with Grogu."

Tano had changed her decision, then. She would train the child-- Grogu. He had a name, Din reminded himself. Tano was willing to teach Grogu, and all Din had to do was go along for the ride. He didn't have to run from one end of the galaxy to the other to find _jetii_. The completion of Din's quest was right here at his fingertips. He just had to take the plunge.

"Deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hm. might either just dump an epilogue, might continue the story. we'll see.


End file.
